Scotland to get £8.9M Lightweight Manufacturing Centre

The First Minister has announced that a new Lightweight Manufacturing Centre is to be set up at the former Doosan Babcock facility in Westway, Renfrew.

The £8.9M facility will be used to develop new manufacturing processes for lightweight materials for the aerospace and automotive industries and support highly skilled jobs to help place Scotland at the forefront of lightweight manufacturing.

It will be run by the University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) in Inchinnan.

The Centre will be the first step towards the establishment of a National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland, which will enable manufacturers to compete in future international markets and support the transformation of Scotland’s manufacturing industry in terms of innovation and digital opportunities, creating sustainable, high-value and highly skilled jobs.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “A vibrant and innovative manufacturing base is critical to Scotland’s economic success and to creating skilled employment opportunities for the future.

“The Lightweight Manufacturing Centre will help Scottish businesses take advantage of the fact that sectors such as aerospace and the automotive industry are making more and more use of lightweight materials. It will deliver cutting edge research and development projects with and for companies in Scotland.

“Scotland enjoys resources few nations can match, including one of the most highly-educated workforces in Europe, a long-standing reputation for excellence in innovation and engineering and an internationally-regarded brand.

“The Scottish Government will continue to do all we can to support growth in the Scottish economy, including the Small Business Bonus taking 100,000 business premises out of rates altogether, investing in our £6 billion infrastructure plan and delivering £200m of investment through the Scottish-European Growth Co-investment Programme – the first tranche of investment through the Scottish Growth Scheme.”

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